


Numb

by DrChickenSlinger



Category: Naruto
Genre: GaaLee, LeeGaa, M/M, Paralysis, Prompt Fill
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-30 02:39:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18306518
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrChickenSlinger/pseuds/DrChickenSlinger
Summary: Lee laid in bed staring at the ceiling.  His shiny black hair clung to his forehead, the suffocating Suna heat surrounding him.  He wanted to get up and open a window.  He wanted to wipe the sweat off his brow, keep it from trickling into his eyes.  But he couldn’t do any of that.  Lee had been paralyzed.Prompt fill for Toonshill!"Prompt up ahead!! GaaLee with Head scratches Because head scratches are the best"





	Numb

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Toonshill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toonshill/gifts).



> Thank you so much for the prompt fill, sweetheart! You are the absolute best, thank you for always taking the time to read my silly fics and comment! I appreciate you!

Lee laid in bed staring at the ceiling. His shiny black hair clung to his forehead, the suffocating Suna heat surrounding him. He wanted to get up and open a window. He wanted to wipe the sweat off his brow, keep it from trickling into his eyes. But he couldn’t do any of that. Lee had been paralyzed. 

It’s not that he wasn’t an excellent shinobi. He was one of the best, his strength and ability so trusted that he had been allowed dual citizenship when he had married Gaara, the Kazekage. Not only did it look good for the Kazekage to marry such a capable shinobi from a village they were currently at peace with, but it was also very useful for missions that required adept taijutsu users, which Suna lacked.

It was during one of said missions when Lee had become paralyzed. It was dark and raining with enemy shinobi closing in on him. They had captured children from multiple villages, hoping to use them as a sick way to earn money. Lee had volunteered to go on the mission, having a soft spot for kids, but everything had gone wrong. Lee had torn open the fourth gate and was about to open a fifth, when he was barraged with multiple attacks. Three kunai slammed into his spinal cord, quickly followed by tight metallic ropes that wound their way around Lee, further pressing them into his back and damaging the tangle of nerves that controlled his precise and strong muscles. Lee groaned in pain, but soon felt a flurry of tingles run down his spine until he felt nothing at all. He attempted to jump off the branch he was currently standing on to get away, but his muscles wouldn’t move. He tumbled to the ground, limbs flailing uselessly until they connected with the wet forest floor. As he began to fade from consciousness, he saw more shinobi arrive to the scene, taking the enemies out and grabbing the kids. Just as one jumped to stand next to him, his vision slipped to black.

Luckily, an extra team was dispatched from a nearby village when they had gotten wind that the enemy group contained more than they had initially thought. Lee’s life had been saved, thanks to the power of the gates coursing through his body. Had the extra energy and power not been there, the kunai would have completely pushed through his spine, killing him instantly. Although, Lee might have preferred that seeing that he no longer had control or feeling in his body besides his neck and head. There was only one reason he was happy to still be alive; Gaara.

Lee used to live to become a strong shinobi, to prove he could be one of the best even if he couldn’t do ninjutsu or genjutsu. But now that he had accomplished that, he lived for Gaara. This is why he currently laid in the hospital bed, putting all of his effort into moving. All he wanted was the twitch of a finger, the slight movement of his knee, just some sign that he would be able to hold the man that he loved in his arms once again. Some proof that he wouldn’t be a burden on him for the rest of his life. He knew Gaara would insist that he wasn’t and would do his best to care for him, but Lee didn’t want to have to depend on Gaara for everything. He wanted to be able to protect him, to rub his back when he had nightmares, to kiss him after a long day of meetings. But right now, Lee couldn’t do any of that and didn’t know if he would ever be able to.

Overwhelmed with frustration and the anxiety of his current situation, he began to cry. The tears leaked down the sides of his faces, pooling in his ears and spilling over onto the coarse, white hospital bed sheet below him. He wanted to wipe them away, to put on a strong face and keep trying, but he couldn’t even do that.

After a few moments of mourning the loss of the life he once knew, there was a gentle knock at the door. Gaara walked in, short legs carrying him quickly to Lee’s bedside.

“Lee, great news, Tsunade will be here within a week to see if anything can be- oh, Lee, what’s wrong?” Gaara asked, kneeling next to Lee and grabbing his hand. Lee shifted his neck uncomfortably, looking at Gaara. Noticing that he was holding his hand, he began to cry harder.

“I cannot feel your hand,” he choked, words coming out in sobs, “I don’t want to forget what it feels like to hold you, but I do not know if I will ever have the chance again.”

Gaara’s visage transformed from one of hope to one of deep pain. He moved his hand from Lee’s and trailed it up his arm, to his neck, to his cheek. Lee shuddered as his finger moved from the numb area on his shoulder to the feeling part of his body. The touch was almost overwhelming, a reminder that he could only feel it partially where Gaara had dragged his finger. He slowly wiped the tears away from Lee’s face, rubbing his hands down the sides of his cheeks and his ears. He gently laced his fingers back through his hair, scratching lightly at his scalp knowing Lee could feel it there.

“Lee, please do not panic. Tsunade will be here by next week. She said that she can probably reverse the effects of the paralysis, though it will take a lot of time until you are back to the same level you were before. But no matter what happens, I will still be with you.”

He leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on Lee’s mouth. Lee luckily still had control over this action, kissing him back gently as tears continued to fall.

“What can I do to help?” Gaara asked, his face hovering over Lee’s,

“Um, can you stay here? And maybe keep… scratching my head?” Lee’s face flushed lightly, almost embarrassed by the request. Gaara smiled at him gently before leaving to alert the nurses that they would be spending some time alone. He kicked his shoes off, leaving them by the door before gently climbing into Lee’s bed. He propped his body up and sat down behind him, gently resting Lee’s head into his lap. He wiped away the remaining tears smeared on Lee’s face and brushed his hair off his forehead. Relief filled Lee’s heart, the feeling of damp hair being pulled from his face as well as the comfort of laying in Gaara’s lap calming his racing mind. Light fingernails scratched his head as Gaara’s fingernails moved through his hair. He hummed gently, a song that his mother had sang to him when he was born and that Temari later got into the habit of doing. He would listen to it, holed up in his room, nothing but the cold notes reaching him where the warmth and love of the gesture should have reached. 

Lee closed his eyes, relaxing into Gaara’s touch. His head bobbed slightly as Gaara’s hands moved towards the back of his scalp, gently massaging as they went. Finally feeling at ease, Lee’s eyes grew heavy, aching for sleep. Gaara bent over Lee, kissing him lightly on the forehead, then pulled him up further onto his chest. Once he was positioned comfortably on Gaara, he placed one arm behind his neck and the other around his front, gently cupping Lee’s cheek with his hand, making sure he could feel him there. Lee did his best to focus on the things he could sense, the light touch of Gaara’s cool hands, the sound of his even breathing, and the smell of his musty cloak and shampoo. In that moment, Lee knew that even if nothing changed, he would always have Gaara to hold him and reassure him. In the meantime, he would do his best to support Gaara in any way that he could, even if it wasn’t physically. A relationship was all about give and take, and Lee would do his best to give Gaara his all, no matter what that entailed.


End file.
